This distinct new cherry cultivar was discovered during the Summer of 1958 by Lyle A. Brooks, who resided at 2515 Gales Way, Forrest Grove, Oreg. 97116. It was selected from a population of approximately 30,000 open pollinated Prunus mahaleb seedlings growing in a nursery field near Fairview, Oreg. The seed used to grow these Prunus mahaleb seedlings came from a seed orchard that had Prunus mahaleb and Prunus avium fruiting trees growing side by side. During the Spring of 1957 a rare weather occurrence brought the bloom period of both these species together, resulting in a small portion of the seed population having Prunus mahaleb as the seed parent and Prunus avium as the pollen parent. During the Summer of 1958, the inventor, Lyle A. Brooks, selected 100 specimens exhibiting visual hybrid characteristics from the large 30,000 seedling population. Brooks then started a screening and evaluation process with the goal of producing an improved cherry rootstock. The rootstock screening process included comparison with various common scion varieties. Investigations were made respecting clonal rooting ability, disease resistance, hardiness and compatibility, precocity, productivity and tree size. The Brooks-2 cultivar was found in a cultivated area near Fairview, Oreg., and was asexually reproduced by Lyle A. Brooks by softwood cuttings near Fairview, Oreg. The asexually reproduced Brooks-2 cultivar firmly retain the unique combination of characteristics as disclosed herein as defining the cultivar for which patent protection is sought.
Brooks-2 cultivar as a rootstock produces a tree that has been compatible with all scion varieties tested to date. The finished tree size, with Brooks-2 as the rootstock, is large, making a tree similar in size to that produced by clonal Prunus avium F 12/1 and approximately 20% larger than trees on Prunus mahaleb rootstock. The variety has a wide range of soil adaptability from lighter sands to heavy clay types and consistently produces a long-lived, well-anchored tree without root suckers. It is very resistant to Phytophthora cactorum and several other Phytophthora species as well as Agrobacterium tumifaciens.
The upper surfaces of the leaves of the parent varieties, Prunus mahaleb and Prunus avium, are substantially different than those of Brooks-2. The leaves of Prunus mahaleb are generally light green and those of Prunus avium are a dull, dark green.
Brooks-2 as a rootstock results in earlier production of fruit of the grafted plants than with the parent varieties and is healthier than either parent. Brooks-2 has substantially greater longevity than either Prunus mahaleb or Prunus avium and can survive in a greater range of climates and soil than the parent varieties, particularly in heavier, slow draining soil.